Soul Calibur 2 Review

A few years ago, with the launch of the Dreamcast, Soul
Calibur was the most revered fighting game at the time. It is the most
praised fighting game in the history of the genre and remains at a locked #3
position on Game Rankings. What makes this feat more incredible is that Soul
Calibur is unlike every other fighter, including series' such as Virtua
Fighter, Street Fighter, Tekken and Dead or Alive. What made Soul Calibur
different was that it was, more or less, strictly a weapons based fighter. So,
in a world where the aforementioned dominate in the fighting genre, seeing Soul
Calibur so warmly received by the press and public alike was somewhat of a
shocker. A third in the Soul Edge universe was in mention about 6 months
after the release of Soul Calibur, and thus Soul Calibur 2
surfaced at the height of 2001. (An FYI: Soul Edge was the first in the
series, followed by Soul Calibur. Soul Calibur 2 is the third game
in the Soul Edge universe). It's been a grueling wait, one that has come with
its fair share of surprises over the past two years. But finally, Soul
Calibur 2 arrives and is ready to tear you a new one all over again.

I've mentioned the depth of Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution,
and I'll reiterate that VF4: Evolution is the deepest fighting game in
terms of move-sets. But Soul Calibur 2 easily puts one over Evolution
in terms of gameplay depth; which, for the most part, has to do with the amount
of gameplay modes SC2 has to offer. As opposed to Evolution's
somewhat limited gameplay modes, Soul Calibur 2 boasts an enormous 15
modes of play, and various gameplay modes have alternative modes to them - so in
a way, it's like a mode...within a mode. Does that make sense? There are the
standard "original" modes, which include: Arcade, Versus, Time Attack,
Survival, Team Battle, Versus Team Battle and Practice. Then we have
"Weapon Master" mode, which is the meat of the game, much like
"Quest" mode is to VF4: Evolution. As you progress in Weapon
Master mode, you will earn experience points and also credits that you will be
able to spend in the game's shop. The shop is rather limited when compared to VF4:
Evolution and its1500 purchasable items, but it's still nice, regardless. SC2's
shop allows you to purchase new weapons for every character in the game, and
you'll also be able to purchase new costumes and modes, as well. The Weapon
Master mode is really nice and offers plenty of challenge. You don't just fight
opponents, often times you'll have to defeat them under certain regulations, be
it a time handicap, health handicap, or a handicap where only air juggling will
count for damage, it's quite varied all around.

Then we have the "extra" versions of the
aforementioned modes (excluding Weapon Master and Versus Team Battle), but the
difference to them is that in the "extra" versions, you can use items
you've obtained in the "Weapon Master" mode. So it's almost like
playing remixed versions of each mode. Each fighter is able to obtain at least
10 different weapons, though, keep in mind; they're only present for show, as
they don't alter the strength of the fighter. Regardless, the weapons still look
pretty slick, for the most part. In addition to the interactive gameplay modes, SC2
also features a hands-off section called the "Museum". The Museum
features modes that must be unlocked or purchased, and they include Battle
Theater, Character Profiles, and Demo Theater. Battle Theater is CPU vs. CPU,
and Character Profiles is just that. Demo Theater is where you can take a look
back at all of the character endings you've unlocked. Basically, Soul Calibur
2 has more gameplay modes than you can shake a stick at. And we'll just
leave it at that.

Most of the Soul Calibur cast returns in SC2
(some fighters are missing, unfortunately), and yes, so does Sophitia
(rejoice!). Though, in addition to the older fighters, new fighters such as
Cassandra, Raphael, Charade, Talim, Necrid, and, of course, Heihachi join the
pack. Some of the new fighters are texture swaps (think, Ryu and Ken), while
others have their own unique move-set. Obviously, everyone wants to know how
well does Heihachi fit in the game. Well, when I first received Soul Calibur
2 back in March, I was pretty insistent on not using Heihachi in the game.
"I've played Tekken enough", I said to myself. Well, the really
curious part in me gave him a shot, and I was rather surprised with Heihachi.
He's a pretty decent fighter, more so than I expected him to be. He's agile,
precise, and quite deadly, as well. He's a surprisingly enjoyable character to
fight with. It's true, the most powerful weapons are indeed someone's fists (was
it Bruce Lee who said so?), so it's nice to see Heihachi complete the Soul
Calibur cast with his presence. In terms of move-sets, Soul Calibur 2
is every bit as deep as the original and them some. It's the second deepest
fighting game of our time, and chances are few fighters will ever come close to
this kind of depth and detail. With the amount of detailed poured into the game,
Soul Calibur 2 is arguably the smoothest playing 3D fighter on the
market, and I'm purely referring to the actual gameplay aspects, nothing
technical.

Moving on to the technical side of things, Soul Calibur
2 sounds fantastic. The game's soundtrack is beautiful. The tunes ring with
both vibrant, gothic and Bach-like symphony sounds -- a true feat for the ears.
The game also features Pro Logic II support, so audiophiles should feel rather
happy to hear that. Visually, as I'm sure you all know by now, Soul Calibur 2
is downright stunning. It edges VF4: Evo slightly in visuals, but that's only
because it features larger battle locales, that are also somewhat more detailed
than Evolution's. The color palette in SC2 is that of a painting
and the imagery is absolutely vivid. If that wasn't enough, the character
detail, and the texture detail is splendid. Namco really did a solid job with
every technical aspect that Soul Calibur 2 features. No one should be
disappointed.

I hope that by now you've purchased Virtua Fighter 4:
Evolution, because there are no sole recommendations to be made. Both Soul
Calibur 2 and Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution deserve a purchase, and I
can't say that I clearly prefer one over the other. With Evolution priced
at a mere $20, there is no reason as to why you shouldn't own both fighting
games. They both feature a tremendous amount of depth, and both feature utterly
fantastic core modes. The bottom line is: Soul Calibur 2 is worthy of the
Soul Calibur namesake and it lives up to the original in every way
imaginable, and manages to considerably outperform it, as well.